Be a Doll(9)

“Miss Garber, I’m now looking for a wedding dress and while I perused more than my fair share of designers catalogs without finding something that caught my attention, I remembered the dress you made for that actress for the last Canne Festival. It was striking.’’

“Oh well, thank you. That dress was probably my best work to date,’’ she replied humbly, her round cheeks turning a light pink under her foundation. “I’d be happy to make some drawings for your wedding dress.’’

“That would be great. I’d like to see what you could come up with, but I must warn you. My wedding is in one month and three weeks.’’

“It’s not a problem at all.’’

She was too quick to accommodate me and it only made me sure of the fact that she wasn’t working as much as she’d like and need. The poor woman was probably going through a hard period with her business.

I smiled at her and pushed a few strands of brown hair behind my ear. “That’s good. For a start, I’m aware that picking a dress depends on someone’s figure, so I’d like to hear what you think would best suit me.’’

Her brown eyes went to detail my form and I briefly wondered if I shouldn’t stand up, but then thought twice of it. It was a first meeting and I was sure she had a good eye without going into the details of my measurements just yet.

“You have a lovely figure, Miss Hodge. Many different designs could suit you, but I think it would be best to avoid a plunging low cut.’’

I glanced down at my breasts and nodded. “Yes, it could easily become vulgar for a wedding. And what of my hips? They’re rather round.’’

“They’re perfectly in proportion to the rest of your body. You can easily rock a design that would stick to your curves without it turning distasteful as long as we pick the right fabric. A shimmery fabric would probably accentuate your curves too much if you decide on a siren design for example.’’

“Interesting. What else?’’

She gnawed on her plush lip and quickly opened the binder on her knees, going through the pages so quickly that I wondered how she could possibly see anything. Then, she stopped at a page and promptly opened it to retrieve the page and extended it to me. “This is not a wedding dress, but it’s a design that is both modern and classic. If we make the back longer, but keep the front short to show your legs and use some lace for some details, I think—‘’

“Oh no,’’ I shook my head slowly after a quick check of the picture in my hands. It showed a purple dress longer on the back and rather short on the front with a bateau neckline. It was splendid, but I couldn’t picture myself with a wedding dress inspired by this. “I’m sorry, but while I’m open to many things for the dress, I can’t picture myself with a short wedding dress or feathers. I draw the line there.’’

I give the picture back and she quickly put it in the binder again. “Long and without feathers. Got it,’’ she said and produced a leather notebook from her purse and a pen to quickly scribble some notes. “Is there a fabric you absolutely love?’’

“I’m open to anything, Miss Garber. I don’t want to hinder your creativity. I believe this is another great opportunity to get your name out there and show off your talent. Go overboard, make this wedding dress unforgettable. I want…’’ God, that was the only thing I had any real leeway on and if I had to marry, then I’d rather do it with the kind of wedding dress I knew I would never regret wearing, no matter how the rest of my life went. “I want the kind of dress that will forever stay with me.’’

Her soft smile at the sudden exposure of a part of my feelings had me uncomfortable, but I was saved by a few discreet knocks at the door before the salon’s door opened to the same maid that led me here. My eyes immediately fell to her hands where she held a small box topped by a big white bow and an envelope.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Miss Hodge, but this came from your fiancé.’’ She quickly came to me and gave me the present and envelope. I barely felt the items in my hands, so stunned to hear from Mr. Grimes and in such a manner. I hadn’t had any contact with him since our ten minute interview last week and with the way it ended I hadn’t thought I’d hear from him before the big day. I didn’t want to hear from him before the big day.

“Thank you.’’ My eyes landed on the box and the envelope now in my lap. Confusion warred with curiosity as I had a hard time tearing my eyes off the box and focus again on Miss Garber. The maid had left quietly and the good manner would be to resume my meeting with the stylist, but the burning need to know what this box contained emptied my mind.

“This is very romantic,’’ she said, a smile stretching her lips in an innocence I’d love to still feel.

Romantic. That word almost made me laugh. There was nothing romantic about Mr. Grimes and my engagement to him. Nothing. It was merely a business arrangement where I was the asset he was purchasing. Sordid could be a good term to use.

“Indeed,’’ I said, lying through my teeth. My fingers tightened around the box, flattening the bow. I needed to shorten this meeting. I couldn’t spend any more time wondering what this was and why he sent me a parcel. I also wanted to know what he wrote and if he would be as despicable as he had been during that interview. Sometimes, a letter could be very deceiving regarding one’s character. “Do you think you could work on a few designs to show me in say… two days? Of course, your expenses will all be taken care of and your time will be well-compensated.’’